UC Merced will begin Division II competition after official acceptance Thursday by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The university will begin NCAA Division II competition in the 2025-26 academic year and will be fully eligible for postseason in 2026-27.
Nine of the Bobcats’ 12 intercollegiate varsity programs will compete in the CCCA (California Collegiate Athletic Association) conference. Men’s and women’s water polo will join the Western Water Polo Association. Men’s volleyball is applying for membership in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
“We are excited to be joining the NCAA Division II and the CCAA,” said Executive Director of Recreation and Athletics David Dunham. “This has been a goal for our program since its inception. We have achieved this milestone thanks to the hard work and dedication of our coaches, staff and our student-athletes along with unwavering support from Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz and the rest of the campus leadership. We look forward to the new rivalries to be formed within the CCAA and competing in one of the top Division II conferences in the nation.”
UC Merced started intercollegiate athletics in 2011-12 as a member of the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Bobcats have won 13 Cal Pac Championships and eight Cal Pac Tournament Championships since the university’s inception and have won three NAIA National Championship Opening Round games. UC Merced has also qualified 29 individuals for cross country and outdoor track and field national championships. Last fall, UC Merced was one of just two institutions in the country to win both men’s and women’s soccer NAIA National Championship Opening Round matches. Academically, UC Merced is proud to have 170 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes and 48 NAIA Scholar-Teams.
During the transition, the Bobcats will remain in the Cal Pac for 2024-25 and remain eligible for all conference and NAIA national championship events until the end of the 2025 spring season. However, several NCAA Division II schools have scheduled UC Merced for nonconference matches this fall.
During its second year of the candidacy period (2025-26), UC Merced will compete in the CCAA, but the Bobcats will not be eligible for CCAA or NCAA championships. UC Merced will gain NCAA Division II active membership status in the fall of 2026.
UC Merced joins the NCAA as the highest-ranked university in NCAA Division II in U.S. News and World Report’s list of Best Colleges in the Nation. Also of note, UC Merced’s enrollment is among the top 50 in NCAA Division II.
“This exciting news is indicative of the growth of UC Merced’s athletics program and the university itself, and we are thrilled to be joining NCAA Division II,” said Muñoz. “In doing so, UC Merced aligns itself with institutions that prioritize a balance between rigorous academics and high-level athletics, providing student-athletes with the opportunity to excel in both.”
Among many benefits, the transition will win over student-athletes, students, supporters and fans with the geographical alignment. UC Merced will have nine NCAA Division II institutions within 150 miles of campus, compared to just one at the NAIA level. UC Merced has previously beaten seven of those nine institutions in head-to-head sports.
UC Merced is also within 30 miles of Stanislaus State and 65 miles from Fresno Pacific University. UC Merced has never had a NAIA member that close in proximity.
All 13 CCAA members are California institutions. The CCAA, which is home to the most National Championships (156) of any NCAA Division II conference, includes Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, Cal State LA, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State San Marcos, Chico State, San Francisco State, Sonoma State, Stanislaus State and UC Merced. These members combine to make up the largest enrollment of any conference in NCAA Division II.
"We are thrilled that UC Merced has been accepted as an NCAA Division II provisional member," said CCAA commissioner Allen Hardison. "I was extremely confident this would be the case as they are very well-prepared to make this transition. However, it is still exciting to see their hard work officially resulting in NCAA provisional member status. The fact they have now also been accepted into the expedited two-year membership process speaks volumes to the type of institution and athletic department they are."
UC Merced joins Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay as former California Pacific Conference members to make the transition to NCAA Division II and the CCAA. All-time, UC Merced becomes the eighth member of the Cal Pac to be accepted in NCAA Division II.
UC Merced will finish its time in the Cal Pac and NAIA hosting many significant events, including the California Pacific Conference men’s and women’s basketball championships, cross country championships, men’s soccer championships and men’s volleyball championships. Merced has become a premier destination for championship events and is looking forward to hosting CCAA Championships and NCAA Regionals in the near future.
